The present invention relates to the entertainment industry, particularly to live theater and ride attractions where an audience watches a live-action show typically involving stunts. Live-action shows have become increasingly popular, for example, at amusement or theme parks. These types of shows are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the special effects and stunts involved, which audiences have come to expect.
Many of the theaters offering such shows try to incorporate stunts similar to those seen in motion pictures and television shows. In the film industry, vehicles often fly through the air as part of an action sequence. The film's story may require a prop, such as a car or a boat, to hurtle through the air, or may require that an object explode and be thrown like a projectile.
Film makers have used several different means to achieve the illusion of free flight. For example, the industry often achieves these stunts by using a catapult or other means for launching a prop into the air. The catapult is hidden from view of the camera, or is simply edited out of the film by filming the launch from several vantage points and eliminating those shots that expose the catapult to view. Generally this method is destructive, and requires multiple props for multiple shots.
The motion picture industry also simulates free flying vehicles or other objects using tethers. A prop simulating free flight can be supported by cables, wires, or other similar devices. When the prop is supposed to "fly," the cables raise the prop up off the ground and move it in the manner desired. The cables are concealed into the background, or edited out of the film using well known techniques, to maintain the illusion being created.
In a third technique, a prop is mounted on an arm, such as an extending boom. The boom is concealed or incorporated into the set. The prop is then filmed from camera angles which provide the appearance of untethered free movement.
In live theater, however, film techniques often cannot be used. Cables and wires may be difficult to conceal, such that an audience can often see them, diminishing the effect being created. They also require a superstructure above them from which the cables are supported. Usually the roof of the building containing the theater provides this support. Thus indoors, a prop can "fly" out towards an audience, although the possibility of the audience noticing the exposed cables increases as the prop nears them.
If a theater is located outdoors, the use of such cables is even more severely limited. Neither the cables nor their supports can be concealed very effectively. The prop can be kept at a distance from the audience, such as near a stage area, reducing, but not eliminating, the possibility of the audience noticing the cables.
A boom-like device may be used in outdoor theaters more effectively than cables. However, a boom can only be viewed from a few angles to maintain the effect of flight. Otherwise the boom becomes visible to the audience, destroying the illusion. To minimize this impact, the boom can be concealed, such as mounting it behind a stage or a wall, although this positioning requires the prop to "fly" only near the scenery used to conceal the boom. The prop cannot fly out towards the audience without the boom becoming exposed to view. Generally, in the repetitive environment of live action shows, the prop cannot achieve full speed due to the excessive loads imparted on the support equipment.
Accordingly, there is a need to better create the appearance of free flight in a live-action theater, without using devices which detract from the effect being created.